INTERESTING: Macrolides (azithromycin) inhibit biofilm formation+many other things!

I was reading the literature as I usually do and found that it is actually well-documented that azithromycin (and probably other macrolides) actually inhibit biofilm formation. I even found a study that found azithromycin inhibited the formation of alginate, which is the main component of biofilms that Lyme itself makes (confirmed in many studies, especially Eva Sapi PHD's research). Azithromycin also inhibits bacterial quorem sensing - this is how bacteria communicate with each other, form biofilm colonies together, and so on.

Here are just two studies I found, but there are tons (you will need access to research database to read the full article):

Tateda K, Ishii Y, Kimura S, Horikawa M, Miyairi S, Yamaguchi K. Suppression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum-sensing systems by macrolides: A promising strategy or an oriental mystery. J Infect Chemother. 2007;13:357–367.

Hoffmann, Nadine, et al. "Azithromycin blocks quorum sensing and alginate polymer formation and increases the sensitivity to serum and stationary-growth-phase killing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and attenuates chronic P. aeruginosa lung infection in Cftr−/− mice." Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy 51.10 (2007): 3677-3687.

Post Edited (Strategy92) : 7/5/2014 3:26:42 PM (GMT-6)

Thanks so much Strategy! Really good to hear.

Thanks Georgia - So, maybe if I'm not getting good results, or I stall out, I can switch to azythromicin and give it a try.

According to the new article on abx used for Lyme the best macrolide is carbomycin. This even kills persistors. Clarithromycin is better than azithromycin for Lyme.

Can we get access to carbomycin? Or has anyone checked into it?

The most disappointing thing about many of the new abx discovered to work so well against Lyme. Like most of those abx are not even available in Canada.

So I called Walmart pharmacy and they don't carry Carbomycin nor can they order it.

Bummer.